ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. content — happy
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pound — a weight
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. fine — high quality
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bore — to drill
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. fine — all right
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. content — the amount
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. land — to come down
  24. bore — to tire

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com